Yesterday, I cried (still cry)–tears, sobbing, the whole bit–looking at that picture. I didn’t wonder why.
Since late last month, I’ve been running on a vitamin-less diet. I don’t like it, but I haven’t experienced any notable, negative consequences: my nails still grow nicely (when I work out regularly) and I do believe my hair does as well. I still feel energetic. Still, this sans-vitamin trip must end soon.
For the past two weeks or so I’ve been feeling strangely, though: cold-like symptoms, mainly. For the past few days, it’s been random flushes of heat over my body. A little diarrhea, for a day, too–remember that from once before.
More importantly, today, I’ve been feeling menstrual-y–reading period stories and watching videos via Jezebel. The menstruation tag (#menstruation) grabbed some winners.
Menarche stories are fun, but I found myself always saddened by the ones in which the girls were horrified–to the point of fearing death–at the onset of their periods. There are plenty white pants/shorts stories and excited moms, as well. I envy the girls with the celebratory moms.
I was ridiculed one day at school when my period came unexpectedly–stained pants while standing outside with my class (middle school–ugh) waiting for lunch. Some dude started pointing and laughing and encouraged a supposed friend to join in. I had no idea why “everyone” was laughing until a teacher came up to me, quietly told me the score, then escorted me to the main office where I called my grandmother.
Oh, Grandmother. With a stern look, she halted me at the opened car door so she could quickly and carefully shield her passenger seat. Had I not been a mistress of feelingus repressus, I probably would’ve broken down right there. On a bright note, the friend apologized the next day with a note and I gleefully forgave her as if nothing had happened.
Some highlights from the tag:
Could Tampon Packaging Please Look Like This?: It’s about repackaging tampons to reduce the shame of buying them. Some made some good points, though. Namely, the fact that if you’re ashamed of buying your period products, the new design probably won’t diminish that very much, if at all. Many chimed in to say that they weren’t, in fact, embarrassed to purchase their tampons. That’s almost always good. It’s bad when they claim to not understand why other women are ashamed, but I have developed an unswerving hatred of that phrase, anyway.
Period Pieces: 27 Movie Menstruation Scenes: That and lots of menarche stories. Let’s see, my standouts are Carrie, The Legend of Billie Jean, and Slums of Beverly Hills. Billie Jean probably had the greatest affect since I was a youngin’ went I saw it and I got my period a few years later. I loved that movie so much, I chopped off the hair on one of my Barbies and named her Billie Jean.
A Reader’s Treasury of Cures For Your Cramps: New ones: poppy tea, sitting on the toilet (I didn’t think anyone else did that), Mary Jane, hard liquor, a laptop (oh yes, it gets hot enough), and essential oil blends: rosemary, eucalyptus, peppermint, and cajeput (not totally new, but I keep forgetting that I can do this.)
Ten Days In the Life of a Tampon: Wow.
Menstrual Flow Chart: Coolest Thing We’ve Seen All Week: adorable and informative.
Some Old-Tyme Period Practices Were Kinda Fun: the menstrual hut or “seclusion tradition” becomes a 3-day vacation. Some reader quotes:
I Red Tent the shit out of my life for about a week every month, and it’s awesome. For the longest time, I tried and tried to be a “trooper” and force myself to go out and not limit my activities, and I’ve discovered that I’m much happier if I take the week off from life and come home from work and just eat ice cream on the couch and cry at commercials. And then I arise, phoenix-like, at the end of it, feeling refreshed, if a little stir-crazy, instead of just fucking exhausted –Triphena
I have a 3-day vacation, it is called the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of my 7 day visit from Aunt Flow. During these 3 days, I allow myself a visit to KFC, a pint of ice cream eaten in a single sitting, a viewing of the BBC version of Pride and Prejudice or Sense and Sensibility, Love Actually or the first season of Grey’s Anatomy. I also leave work an hour early on Friday and stay in my pajamas and sweatpants for most of Saturday and Sunday, unless of course I need to leave my cave for supplies such as Cheetos, Toblerone or Tim’s Cascade Habanero chips.
Mine is a 21st century version of that seclusion deal. And I enjoy it completely –quatrevingtquartre
Short version of on-topic answer: I’d be into OPTIONAL menstrual seclusion for women if it was in a context of respecting the sacred fem, of contemplation of cycles, of miracles, of the capability to create and sustain life, of cthonic relevance, of second and third chances, in fact an infinite number of chances to house a miracle in the form of a child, or make a repair to the world in lieu of giving birth, etc etc armchair spiritualism.
But it’s SO EASY to co-opt a healthy tradition for negative, hurtful reasons, because our ruling cultures across the world don’t give a shit about the sacred feminine or sustaining life. The possibilities for perverting something holy kind of turn me off the ritual –LimitedLiabilityGirl
What Should Be in a First Period Kit?: Takes me back to how excited I was when I received my first care package in the fifth grade.
PMS Is Not A Window Into Your Soul: A p0int of view I’m seeking to escape, but it’s a reality for many women. Interestingly enough, however, some in the PMS sucks! camp admit to a certain validity in this so-called new age approach, but blame time constraints for their unwillingness to embrace it.
Bloody Hell: Menstrual Activists Make Periods Public: I like it. It makes me think, but I’m not there yet.
